Dy director, BDO suspended for skipping meetings

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 23

Deputy Director, Agriculture, Chamba, Dharam Chand was suspended for not attending a meeting chaired by Shanta Kumar, BJP MP from Kangra, yesterday.

The order for his suspension was issued last evening by Principal Secretary, agriculture, Onkar Sharma. The order said the deputy director had skipped a meeting to be chaired by Shanta Kumar without informing the authorities. He was neither on leave, nor had given any tour programme.

Shanta Kumar, who chaired the meeting at Dharamsala today, said officers should be serious about the meetings held by political leaders. The meetings were held by MPs to review the progress of various development schemes being run under the aegis of the Union government.

Another officer, who came under fire, was BDO, Fatehpur, Arvind Guleria. The officer was suspended today and posted at DRDA office in Dharamsala.

Arvind Guleria was publicly scolded by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor in Fatehpur on Saturday for being absent from his programme held to hear the grievances of people.

The officer said he had attended the programme but gone to take medicines. He had met with an accident and recently joined duty.

The video of the minister scolding the BDO went viral on social media. Later, the BDO, while talking to newsmen, said the minister should not have scolded him in public. He claimed that the minister could have marked inquiry or said anything to him in private.

After the BDO’s objection, he was put under suspension by the government. The action against the officers has been criticised by the Congress. CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri said the public scolding of officials would demoralise them.

BDO chided in public

• Deputy Director, agriculture, Chamba, Dharam Chand had skipped a meeting to be chaired by Shanta Kumar. 
• Another officer was BDO, Fatehpur, Arvind Guleria. He was publicly scolded by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor in Fatehpur on Saturday for leaving the programme. The BDO objected to being scolded in public. After his objection, he was put under suspension.